Originally Posted by
WoodleyBeacon
I've got a question regarding boarding the train at Union Station in DC. At NY Penn I was very early for the train so I used the Acela Club Lounge, and when the train was called for boarding everyone made their own way to the platform down the steps along with Business Class passengers. However at Union Station I only arrived 25 minutes before the train was due to depart so I just joined the line at the gate (there were about 30 or so people in front of me) and I waited for it to open. However when I got to the First Class car it was already 75% full! Presumably there's priority boarding from the Club Lounge there, is that correct? How does it work?
New York's lounge is the exception to the rule, in part because of the shear volume of people and in part because of size of the station and the lounges location in relation to the tracks.
At all other lounges, DC, Philly, and Boston, pre-boarding is a perk that one gets if one is in the lounge. So unless you are within 10 minutes of the train's departure, you should always go into the lounge and avoid the long lines at the gate.